in the small town of Villeneuve, Belle, the book-loving daughter of an inventor named Maurice, dreams of adventure. She constantly brushes off advances from Gaston, an arrogant former soldier, as he is not the type of man Belle wishes to marry. On Maurice's way to a convention and lost in the forest, he seeks refuge in the Beast's castle, but the Beast imprisons him for stealing a rose from his garden as a gift to Belle. When Maurice's horse returns without him, Belle ventures out in search of him, and finds him locked in the castle dungeon. Belle tricks both her father and the Beast by asking for a simple hug goodbye from her father, she pushes him out and locks herself in the dungeon. The Beast agrees to let her take her father's place and forces Maurice to leave immediately.
